IEP Goals for Daily Living Skills Hygiene

If you are writing an  Individual Education Plan  to ensure that your students will be successful, make sure that your goals are based on the students past performance and that they are stated positively. Goals/statements must be relevant to the students needs. Start slowly, choosing only a couple of behaviors at a time to change. Be sure to involve the student, which enables him to take responsibility and be accountable for his own modifications. Specify a timeframe to reach the goal to enable you and the student to track and/or graph his successes. Daily Living Skills Daily living skills fall under the domestic domain. The other domains are functional academics, vocational, community, and recreation/leisure. Together, these areas make up what,  in special education, are known as the five domains. Each of these domains seeks to give teachers a way to help students gain  functional skills  so that they can live as independently as possible. Learning basic hygiene and toileting skills is probably the most basic and important area that students need to achieve independence. Without the ability to take care of her own hygiene and toileting, a student cannot hold a job, enjoy community activities, and even  mainstream into general education classes. Listing the Skill Statements Before you can write a hygiene or toileting — or any IEP — goal, you should first list the skills you and the IEP team feel the student should achieve. For example, you might write that the student will be able to: Use facial tissue to blow or wipe her noseIndicate the need to use the bathroomUse the  toilet with some assistanceUse toilet hygiene independentlyUnderstand the need for toileting hygieneUse or requests personal hygieneManipulate bathroom fixturesParticipates in the washing of face and handsCover his mouth when coughing or sneezing Once youve listed the daily living skills statements, you can write the actual IEP goals. Turning Statements Into IEP Goals With these toilet and hygiene statements in hand, you should begin to write appropriate IEP goals based on those statements. The  BASICS Curriculum, developed by special education teachers San Bernardino, California, is one of the most widely used curriculums nationwide, though there are many others that can help you to craft IEP goals based on your skills statements. The only thing you need to add is a timeframe (when the goal will be achieved), the person or staff members responsible for implementing the goal, and the way the goal will be tracked and measured. So, a toileting goal/statement adapted from the BASICs curriculum might read: By xx date, the student will respond appropriately to the question Do you need to go to the bathroom with 80% accuracy as measured by teacher-charted observation/data in 4 out of 5 trials. Similarly, a toileting goal/statement might read: By xx date, the student will wash her hands after specific activities (toileting, art, etc.) as directed with 90% accuracy as measured by teacher-charted observation/data in 4 out of 5 trials. You would then track, probably on a weekly basis,  to see if the student is progressing in that goal  or has mastered the toileting or hygiene skill.

Dr. Seuss - a poet - 753 Words

Dr. Seuss: A Unique Poet Shel Silverstein is unarguably one of the world’s favorite poets. Millions of children have read his greatest classics such as â€Å"The Unicorn†, â€Å"Hug O’War†, â€Å"Ickle Me, Tickle Me, Pickle Me Too†, and â€Å"Where the Sidewalk Ends†. His use of balderdash, rhyme, and alliteration draws the attention of these children; nevertheless, there is another children’s poet who is as equally eccentric as Shel Silverstein: Dr. Seuss. Although Dr. Seuss is considered one of the finest influential children’s poets, due to his preponderance of eccentric characters and nonsense, critics consider his poetry limited. Dr. Seuss was a major success in poetry because of his various eccentric characters used in his poems. Wendy Mass†¦show more content†¦His made up words make the story more interesting, causing him to become a huge success in writing. Moreover, his peculiar characters that do extraordi nary things form a wild scene in his poems. For example, the cat in the hat that did all sorts of things draws children because Works Cited Fensch, Thomas. The Man Who Was Dr. Seuss: The Life of Theodore Seuss. Texas: New Century Books, 2000. Print. MacCann, Donnarae. â€Å"Dr. Seuss: Overview.† www.galegroup.com. Oct. 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. Mass, Wendy. Great Authors of Children’s Literature. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000.Show MoreRelatedSummary Of Dr. Seusss Yertle The Turtle1067 Words   |  5 PagesTheodor Seuss Giesel was one of the best poets who seldom received the credit he deserved because he was geared toward an audience of children. Our experiences as a child lay the foundation for the rest of our lives, and Dr. Seuss gets children excited about reading. Although he is known for writing and illustrating children’s books, the stories themselves are poems. Dr. Seuss wrote non-sensical poems but they had meaning behind them. His history of illustrating propaganda during World War II laterRead MoreDr. Seuss Changed the Lives of All Children839 Words   |  3 PagesIt was March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. A baby boy was born; a boy that one day changed the world for all children. That boy was Theodor Seuss Geisel, mostly known as Dr. Seuss. His mother and father, Henrietta and Theodore Geisel, called him Ted. Theodor became a writer, poet, and cartoonist. His work had a revolutionary impact on children’s literature and changed the way children learned to read. â€Å"As a young bot Theodor began drawing many pictures. He was always drawing strange-lookingRead MoreDr. Seuss and How the Grinch Stole Christmas695 Words   |  3 PagesTheodor Seuss Geisel was a cartoonist, poet, and American writer. He was most widely known for his childrens books written and illustrated as Dr. Seuss. â€Å"The short film â€Å"How the Grinch stole Christmas†, came out in the year 1966. It was made from the original story book that published in 1956 by Dr. Seuss†, (Hutchinson). Grinch, which is the main character of the story. He is labeled as a cruel scoundrel, who lives a lonely life in his cave north of the village, with no one to mingle with, exceptRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Cat Of The Hat By Shel Silverstein1931 Words   |  8 Pagesunderstand what they are reading at a young age. Many authors, some famous, have been able to capture the attention of young readers by making the words in their stories rhyme. Dr. Seuss wrote some of the most notable young children’s books that most if not all include some kind of rhyming pattern. In his book â€Å"The Cat in The Hat† Dr. Suess is able to use rhyming to reel in the attention of children and keep them engaged. Similarly, in â€Å"Falling Up† by Shel Silverstein we see how he is able to write a poemRead MoreThe Importance of Poetry in Literature1828 Words   |  8 PagesThe utilization of poets and poetry can serve for many different positive purposes and effects on society. Poetry may supply an essential element in man growth such as building fresh, articulate vocabulary and reasoning skills. It also establishes intellectual connections, sometimes sparking insightful opinions through exciting and innovative ideas or ways of expression that were never seen or thought of before, possibly inspiring even more ingenious work to be produced. Poets may use animated andRead MoreDr. Seuss Research Paper2250 Words   |  9 PagesPlaces He Took Us! A poet, a teacher, an activist – These are all the things that Theodor Seuss Geisel managed to be. Geisel was born into the German family of Theodor Robert Geisel and Henrietta Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904. He grew up having pride in his German background, but it all changed to shame after he experienced the torment of living through WWI. Despite the discouraging experiences he had during those times, they were not enough to stop the very talented â€Å"Dr. Seuss†. Geisel showed manyRead MoreRhyme Scheme Of Wilfred Owen899 Words   |  4 Pagesbeginning of the poem, Owen uses alternate rhyme scheme. This type of rhyme scheme is often associated with childrens books. Owen highlights this irony by using the innocence focused on in this pattern. The type of innocence found while reading Dr. Seuss. Death and hopelessness are never found in some fairytale ending. As Owen continues on, the stanzas dont match the original pattern. The stanzas break at unusual places. Not the usual rhymes of stumbling and fumbling found in stanza two. OwenRead MoreWhat Elements Of Postmodernism Are Present, And How So?1196 Words   |  5 Pagesexpress emotions. Poetry is usually very serene and can be read slowly and rhythmically. Dr. Seuss created a whole branch of children’s poetry that became very popular when I was a kid. However, there is also poetry contributed to this world by Edgar Allen Poe, one of the saddest poets who ever lived. His poetry has rhythm yet, â€Å"A Dream Within a Dream† is very sad and the complete opposite of what Dr. Seuss would create. 4. We can find narratives on class, race, gender or other subjects in nearlyRead MoreExploring The Theme of Facism in Animal Farm, Nineteen-Eighty-Four, Yertle the Turtle, and Dictator1393 Words   |  6 Pagessuppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. Fascism also occurs in our literature such as the great pieces Animal Farm and Nineteen-Eighty-Four by Orwell, Yertle the Turtle by Seuss and Dictator by Kessler. These pieces will now be deeply explored so we can find out what English literature tells us about fascism. Animal Farm is a novella by George Orwell based upon the rise of Stalin and Russian Revolution and references heavilyRead MoreShel Silverstein832 Words   |  4 PagesShel Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois 1932 and died May 10, 1999 from a heart attack. Shel Silverstein was a well know and well liked author/poet. Silverstein noticed his talents when he was twelve years old. When most boys are playing sports and chasing girls, Shel was at home writing and drawing original pieces. His talents were well Ââ€"developed by the time he served in the US Armed Forces during the 1950s. While in the military he was a cartoonist for the Pacific Edition of the military

Motivations and Benefits of Students Volunteering Free Essays

Essa Fadhili S363053517/1/2018 Teachers(s) Name: Sharene Herdy Rachel Joy Abstract The following report examines the factors that motivate students to take part in volunteering work. The piece largely draws its insights from an American Education Research Journal and a peer reviewed article from Sweden’s Linnacus University. The goal is to provide findings on what motivates university students into engaging in volunteer work, the report offers several ideas for recommendations. We will write a custom essay sample on Motivations and Benefits of Students Volunteering or any similar topic only for you Order Now The report provides concise findings on what motivates students into taking part in volunteering work. Introduction Volunteering is a necessary part of the society as it is associated with numerous benefits for both the active and passive participants. While this fact remains, many students are usually unwilling to participate in volunteering program for varied reasons. Some lack motivating factors since the work is free while others do not consider volunteer to be important or of any meaningful use to the society. Most universities have for long encouraged their students to take up volunteering work. Through volunteering, students gain from experience. For instance, they help give back to the society by helping the disadvantaged and improve their social skills. The report aims to discuss the motivations of volunteering. In doing so, the benefits that students can derive from participating in volunteer work will be reviewed. The benefits include meeting new people, acquiring useful skills, and learning the importance of creating community awareness about certain social gaps. The piece will also provide recommendations to help to universities promote the program to the participants. The piece largely draws its insights from an American Education Research Journal and a peer reviewed article from Sweden’s Linnacus University. Â  Motivations for Student to do Volunteer Work One of the motivations that encourage students to engage in volunteer work is the need to meet new people and help their cause. The Students make new friends with others like them from other faculties or schools which serves to improve their social interactions for students engaging in volunteer work provides them with the opportunity to meet strangers and have a positive impact on their lives. Research indicates that 74% of students who were actively involved in volunteer work experienced broader social ties and friendships (Fermnadez, Linett, and Nomoto 2016). It is easier for students with similar interests to interact that it is the case within the campus. As can be seen in the figure below, the number of volunteers in the University age bracket is still very low and thus the need to encourage students to enrol.Figure-12. Benefits of Volunteer Work Another important motivation that lures students into being part of volunteer work is the fact that they develop useful skills and work experience. In the process of helping with volunteer work, students can learn various professional skills that can assist them with their future career and their resume. Research indicates that 51% of fresh graduates in employment began working in volunteering programs (Serow1991). Volunteering comes with a sense of happiness and self-fulfillment thus enticing students to take part in such programs. Also, 39% of non-volunteer students strongly believe volunteering in their academic course can entice them to engage in volunteer work (Serow1991). Volunteer work can act as an easy route to employment more so where the work involved relates to the course the participants are taking in the University. Feeling of Happiness in Helping People The other motivation that student can gain from volunteering work is the feeling of happiness in helping others. The participants make a social difference that they feel proud of and that acts as a motivational factor to engage in volunteer work (Serow 1991). The feeling that one is making a meaningful contribution to the society and organizations that address the social plight of the society is enough motivation to encourage students to take part in more volunteer program. Everyone likes to be part of a significant social change, and volunteer work offers this chance to the student. Figure-2The above figure illustrates the sharp decline in the number of volunteer between 2002 and 2015.ConclusionTo sum up, different motivations can serve to encourage more students to engage in volunteering program. Engaging in volunteer work provides students with an opportunity to improve their chances of employability. What is more, students get to meet new students with similar interests. Lastly, students feel happy helping others and that lures them into volunteer programs. Recommendations To encourage more student to join the volunteering program the university should organize events where student volunteers can meet to share their experiences. Organizing such forums can both fulfill the need for students to socialize and act as a motivation for more students to engage in the volunteer program. Young people are thrill seekers and meeting new friends to share their experiences-both life’s and those from the program-can help boost the number of students joining the volunteer program. The events should have fun activities that students love such as music, famous artists, and food. . The University should organize short courses where experienced student volunteers can showcase their experience by teaching potential members the benefits of enrolling. This adds to their skills and employability. Such courses have a high chance of succeeding since it involves students teaching students unlike an outsider or a teacher doing so. The new lanners would be in a better position to learn from their colleagues who also share their experiences of the program. A youngster encouraging another is more effective than an older party teaching the same to a youngster. . Another effective recommendation that would serve to attract more students to the volunteer program would be the use of flyers, adverts, and colorful videos about the pleasant experience of students in the volunteer program. Young people are always attracted to interesting videos and adverts as they form part of their daily lives on social media. Through sharing the videos and adverts, students improve their social life as they meet other new interested parties. As such, using these tools may be the most effective way to reach to potential student-volunteers4 who are not already in the program. Videos, flyers, and ads may work better than word of mouth. Most campus students spend more time on the Internet than they do when they interact with each other. As such, it is easier for new volunteers to find the information about the volunteer program from popular social sites that from friends. Reference list Femandez, P Linett, Q ; Nomoto, T 2016, `student volunteering in Sweden and the motivations driving this phenomenon ` Bachelor Thesis,Linnacus University ,Sweden.Serow, R, C 1991, `Students and voluntarism: looking into the motives of community service participants’ American Educational Research Journal, vol.28, No.3, pp 543-556. How to cite Motivations and Benefits of Students Volunteering, Papers

Taylor Swift- Fearless free essay sample

Taylor Swifts sophomore album is AWESOME!!!!!! She kicks off the album with the heart grabbing song Fearless, which has some wonderful power behind it. Most of these songs have some type of powerful beat to them; whether noticeable or not, the powers there. The track set up on the C.D. is great too. First a fast song is played and then a slow one. Even her chart topping hits Love Story and White Horse are on this album. Even though shes a country singer, her songs still have a main stream flavor to them which is a plus for people out there who arent really big fans of country music. These type of songs include You Belong with Me, The Way I Loved You, Forever and Always, Change, and Tell Me Why. If your into more of the country beat, you might like The Best Day and Hey Stephen. We will write a custom essay sample on Taylor Swift- Fearless or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page She offers up some slower songs like Fifteen, Breathe, and Youre not Sorry. Bottom line: this is a great C.D. for just about anybody! Enjoy!

Macbeth Essays (820 words) - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth I am going to prove that in the play Macbeth, a symbol of blood is portrayed often (and with different meanings), and that it is a symbol that is developed until it is the dominating theme of the play towards the end of it. To begin with, I found the word "blood", or different forms of it forty-two times (ironically, the word fear is used forty-two times), with several other passages dealing with the symbol. Perhaps the best way to show how the symbol of blood changes throughout the play, is to follow the character changes in Macbeth. First he is a brave honoured soldier, but as the play progresses, he becomes a treacherous person who has become identified with death and bloodshed and shows his guilt in different forms. The first reference of blood is one of honour, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured sergeant and says "What bloody man is that?". This is symbolic of the brave fighter who been injured in a valiant battle for his country. In the next passage, in which the sergeant says "Which smok'd with bloody execution", he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is covered in the hot blood of the enemy. After these few references to honour, the symbol of blood now changes to show a theme of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth starts this off when she asks the spirits to "make thick my blood,". What she is saying by this, is that she wants to make herself insensitive and remorseless for the deeds which she is about to commit. Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol, and knows it will deflect the guilt from her and Macbeth to the servants when she says "smear the sleepy grooms with blood.", and "If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, for it must seem their guilt." When Banquo states "and question this most bloody piece of work," and Ross says "is't known who did this more than bloody deed?", they are both inquiring as to who performed the treacherous acts upon Duncan. When Macbeth is speaking about Malcolm and Donalbain, he refers to them as "bloody cousins" A final way, and perhaps the most vivid use of the symbol blood, is of the theme of guilt. First Macbeth hints at his guilt when he says "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?", meaning that he wondered if he would ever be able to forget the dastardly deed that he had committed. Then the ghost of Banquo, all gory, and bloody comes to haunt Macbeth at the banquet. The sight of apparitions represents his guilt for the murder of Banquo which he planned. Macbeth shows a bit of his guilt when he says "It is the bloody business which informs thus," he could not get the courage to say murder after he had killed Duncan, so he says this instead. Lady Macbeth shows the most vivid example of guilt using the symbol of blood in the scene in which she walks in her sleep. She says "Out damned spot! Out I say! One: two: why then 'tis time to do't: hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it when none can call out power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?". This speech represents the fact that she cannot wipe the blood stains of Duncan off of her hands. It is ironic, that she says this, because right after the murder, when Macbeth was feeling guilty, she said "A little water clears us of this deed." When the doctor of the castle finds out about this sleepwalking, he tells Macbeth "As she is troubled with thick-coming fantasies,". What this means, is that Lady Macbeth is having fantasies or dreams that deal with blood. Macbeth knows in his mind that she is having troubles with her guilt, but does not say anything about it. Just before the ending of the play, Macbeth has Macduff at his mercy, and lets him go, because of his guilt. He shows that he is guilty, when he says "But get thee back, my soul is too much charg'd with blood of thine already.". Of which, Macduff replies, "I have no words, my voice is in my sword, thou bloodier villain than terms can give thee out." After the death of Macbeth at the

Nobel Peace Prize winners essays

Nobel Peace Prize winners essays The theories of these five men: John C. Harsanyi, John Nash, Reinhard Selten, Robert W. Fogel, and Douglass C. North, made an abundant progress in the Economic Sciences in America and the economy. For these great accomplishments, these five were awarded the Noble Peace Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994(Harsanyi, Nash, Selten), and 1993(Forgel, North). The three economists who was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1994 for their excellent work and progress in game theory was know as pioneers in using games like chess and poker as the foundation for understanding complex economic issues. This was precisely half a century after John Von Neumann and Osar Morgenstern launched the field with the publication of The Theory of Games and Economic Behavior. John F. Nash of Princeton University(a American economists), John C. Harsanyi of the University of California at Berkeley(a Hungarian economist), and Reinhard Selten of the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universitat in Bonn(a German economists), shared the award, and the $930,000 cash award for their achievements in economics.1 The trios accomplishment portrayed the significance of Von Neumann and Morgenstern's contribution to game theory, which was recognized by economists and others almost immediately. The lessons they drew from homely games like chess and poker had exemplified universal application to economic situations in which the participants had the power to anticipate and affect other participants' actions. Harsanyi stated it is a theory of strategic interactions...of rational behavior in social situations in which each player has to choose his moves on the basis of what he thinks the other players counter moves are likely to be2 Economists did not have an immediate success in applying their insights to a field whose preoccupation with the idea of free competition required that the...

Case Brief

The Superior Court of Philadelphia County affirmed and Plaintiffs Appealed. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirmed. Issue: Did Defendant owe Plaintiff, at the time of the accident, a duty of care when Plaintiff was one mile away from the scene of the accident? Holding: Where a close relative is not present at the scene of the accident and instead learns of the accident from a third party, the prior knowledge learned of the accident serves as a buffer against the full-fledged impact of observing the accident scene. Disposition: Order affirmed. Legal Rationale: Plaintiffs argues recovery under the â€Å"reasonably Foreseeability† test, which would allow a Plaintiff outside the â€Å"Zone of Danger† to recover, which was adopted in Sinn v. Burd, 486 Pa. 146 (1979). The Court stated in response that the Plaintiff’s flexible interpretation of the â€Å"jurisprudential concept †¦which require[s] that the defendant’s breach of a duty of care proximately causes plaintiff’s injury,† was flawed. Moreover, that â€Å"at some point along the causal chain, the passage of time and the span of distance mandate a cut-off point for liability. † Id. Justice Nix, quoting Justice Andrew’s dissent in Palsgraf v. Long Island R. R. , 248 N. Y. ,352 argued public policy cannot allow the Defendant to be responsible for every unforeseeable proximate cause that consequently results from of the Defendant’s negligent conduct. Justice Nix admittedly quotes Sinn v. Burd, 486 Pa. , that â€Å"the defendant did owe a duty of care to the bystander†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However, he also notes â€Å"[f]oreseeability enters into the determination of liability in determining whether the emotional injuries sustained by the plaintiff were reasonably foreseeable to the defendant. † Mazzagati at. 75. Justice Nix asserts that the Court has adopted the Dillon v. Legg, 68 Cal. 2d 728 () parameters in determining whether the claim for Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress was reasonably foreseeable. Justice Nix, moreover, quotes that the progression of the law and public policy reveals that: ‘[O]nly a few jurisdictions recognize th e right of the plaintiff witness who did not suffer an impact, was not in fear of his own safety, and those jurisdictions require that the severe emotional distress to the plaintiff result from the direct and contemporaneous observance of the accident. Mazzagati at. 276. Nix favors an obligation definition of â€Å"duty† as opposed to a â€Å"causal sequence of events. † Mazzagati at. 278. In summation, Justice Nix held that the Defendant’s conduct was not negligent because it did not involve an invasion of the Plaintiff’s legal right, therefore making the claim unactionable. [ 1 ]. In Dillon, it was held that a cause of action is stated when the following criteria are met: (1) Whether the plaintiff was located near the scene of the accident as contrasted with one who was a distance away from it; (2) Whether the shock resulted from a direct emotional impact upon the plaintiff from the sensory and contemporaneous observances of the accident, as contrasted with learning of the accident from others after its occurrence; and (3) Whether plaintiff and the victim were closely related as contrasted with an absence of any relationship or the presence of only a distant relationship.

Film analysis of Easy Rider Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film analysis of Easy Rider - Movie Review Example The worth of a spiritual journey is emphasized throughout the movie, something that is closely associated with the idea of freedom in the movie. This is important in the context of an increasingly repressive America in which the movie was set in and released. The space of the carnival is invoked here and this makes one aware of the need for freedom in the everyday lives of men and women. This then becomes an important motif in the movie. This paper shall look at different aspects of the movie and also of its production. It shall do so through an examination of the conditions of its production and the people who were involved in the production of the movie. Dennis Hopper is considered to be one of the first of the directors in Hollywood to have broken from tradition and to imbibe in his methods of filmmaking the rebellious air of the 1960s and 1970s (Dennis Hopper, n.d.). This made him a very popular figure, even though the success of Easy Rider could not be replicated until much late r. The movie in that sense depicts his style of filmmaking and his ideology regarding the process of filmmaking very well. Hopper’s ideas of filmmaking were inspired by the counterculture of the United States of America which was at its heights when the movie was released. The movie remains one of the most important contributions to the development of the agency of the youth of America. After this wave of the counterculture, there was hardly any understanding of the need to revolt for a while in America, something that was recovered in the decades to follow. In terms of the genre of the movie, one may say that Easy Rider falls within the genre of a road movie. A road movie provides certain set patterns of moviemaking to the filmmaker and Hopper abided by this during the making of the movie. The angles that were used during the shots were almost always that which enabled a realistic portrait of the main characters. This involved shots that were taken from a close angle that al lowed the illusion of movement to the audience. This is one of the most important aspects of a road movie. The illusion of movement and pace is provided to the audience which is then gripped with suspense as to the next movement of the characters on screen. The importance of this lies in the fact that the pace of the movie is something that led the audience to identify with it and also to turn it into a cult classic. The fact that Peter Fonda was a part of the cast was a very important step in establishing for the audience the genre of the movie. It also established the nature of the movie as one that was opposed to the hegemonic culture of the times. Fonda had acted in a movie called The Wild Angels in 1966. This was a road movie as well and was a path breaking achievement in its own right (The Easy Rider, n.d.). This opposition to the hegemonic culture earned the movie great success despite the lack of a great deal of technical innovation in the body of the movie as such. The genr e of a road movie was something that was popular even before the release of this movie and it incorporated many of the motifs of the road movie. This included a generous dose of machismo that played a great part even in the final denouement of the movie. The plot, in a great way, is driven by these ideas of machismo that also was a large reason

Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cuban Missle Crisis - Essay Example The role of Khrushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis provides insights to the success or failures of him as a leader of the Soviet Union. However a lot of research on his role in the event has focused primarily on explaining the reasons of his decisions to place the missiles in Cuba. Taubman, points out that placing of the missiles in Cuba are viewed by Khrushchev as a cure for the entire world thus alleviating the domestic troubles and showing to his colleagues that he was a worthy leader. Khrushchev in his memoirs explains his decision of placing the missile and crisis as; â€Å"We shipped our weapons to Cuba precisely for the prevention of aggression against her! That is why the Soviet government reaffirmed its agreement to the removal of the ballistic rockets from Cuba† (Khrushchev). The reasoning behind placing of the missiles as given by Khrushchev was logical and can be considered as a justifiable personal reaction. According to White, it was noted that Khrushchev as a pe rson was ‘innovative and conciliatory,’ but also ‘erratic and dangerous’ (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis), thus such decision coming from him can be attributed to his incongruous personality mix. However the decision of Khrushchev was in view of the Soviet Union’s â€Å"Caribbean Crisis† and in an attempt to counter the increasing global power of US and the hostile stance it had taken in Latin America. In the last month of year 1962, Khrushchev stated that he could see â€Å"a possibility of defending the freedom-loving people of Cuba by stationing missiles there.† (White, Missiles in Cuba, Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis). For Khrushchev, Cuba was a ray of hope in the iron curtain, through which he could see the opportunity to bolster the image and power of Soviet Communism and to reject the Beijing accusation. Through this he had the opportunity to address the most critical iss ues concerning the Soviet Union, like: settlement over Berlin, military strategic parity with US and to attain communist prestige in the eyes of Beijing. Although the decision of Khrushchev for placing the missile can be seen as a serious tactical blunder, but his actions during the crisis along with response from Kennedy helped in preventing an atomic war. Although another medium could have been adopted by Khrushchev to strike a better deal for Soviet Union, however he deserves respect for risking his careers, setting aside his pride and withdrawing the missiles. Since the 1962, the unbroken state of Cuba is attributed to the Cuban-Soviet relations serve as a victory for the Soviet Union (Roeschley) Also, as a result of the Soviet-American pact on not invading Cuba was a success for the Soviet in securing victory for Latin American states thus protecting Cuba from another attack like that of the Bay of pigs. In his memoirs, Khrushchev recalls it as, â€Å"if Cuba fell, other Latin American countries would reject us, claiming that for all our might the Soviet Union hadn’t been able to do anything for Cuba except to make empty protests to the United Nations, we had to think of some way of confronting America with

Rome and Milan During the Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Rome and Milan During the Renaissance Essay The Renaissance is a period in the history of Europe beginning in about 1400. The word Renaissance in French means rebirth. During the Renaissance, there were many famous artists, many writers and many philosophers. Many people studied mathematics and different sciences. A person who is knowledgeable in many different things is sometimes called a Renaissance man. Leonardo da Vinci, who was a painter, a scientist, a musician and a philosopher, is the most famous Renaissance Man. The Renaissance started in Italy but soon spread across the whole of Europe. People † The time of Ancient Greece and Rome, when there were many philosophers, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and mathematicians was seen by people as a Golden Age, a time when things were beautiful, well-organized and well-run. This time had lasted from about 400 BC to about 400 AD. In the year 1400, in the city of Rome, people could wander around looking up at the ruins of a city that had once been great. Inside the broken walls that had been smashed in 410 AD were the remains of huge temples, sports arenas, public baths, apartment blocks and palaces. Nearly all of them were ruined and could not be used. Nearly all of them were half-buried in dirt. A lot of them were pulled down to use as building stone. But they showed people what great things could be done. Among the ruins of this once-great city, the people of Rome lived in cottages. They still went to church in the huge churches (basilicas) built by the first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, in the 4th century. They still held market day in the Ancient Roman market place of Campo dei Fiori (Field of Flowers). One day in 1402, into the middle of Rome, came a young man called Filippo Brunelleschi and a teenage boy called Donatello. They were fascinated by everything that they saw. They measured ancient ruined buildings, they drew things and they dug around for weeks looking for bits of broken statues and painted pottery that they could stick together. They were probably the worlds first archaeologists. By the time they went back home to Florence, they knew more about Ancient Roman architecture and sculpture than anyone had known for about a thousand years. Brunelleschi became a very famous architect and Donatello became a very famous sculptor. They both used the ideas that they had, when they were studying the remains of ancient Rome†. [1] During the renaissance there was great economic growth. †In the 13th century, much of Europe experienced strong economic growth. The trade routes of the Italian states linked with those of established Mediterranean ports and eventually the Hanseatic League of the Baltic and northern regions of Europe to create a network economy in Europe for the first time since the 4th century. The city-states of Italy expanded greatly during this period and grew in power to become de facto fully independent of the Holy Roman Empire; apart from the Kingdom of Naples, outside powers kept their armies out of Italy. During this period, the modern commercial infrastructure developed, with double-entry book-keeping, joint stock companies, an international banking system, a systematized foreign exchange market, insurance, and government debt. [2] Florence became the centre of this financial industry and the gold florin became the main currency of international trade. The new mercantile governing class, who gained their position through financial skill, adapted to their purposes the feudal aristocratic model that had dominated Europe in the Middle Ages. A feature of the High Middle Ages in Northern Italy was the rise of the urban communes which had broken from the control by bishops and local counts. In much of the region, the landed nobility was poorer than the urban patriarchs in the High Medieval money economy whose inflationary rise left land-holding aristocrats impoverished. The increase in trade during the early Renaissance enhanced these characteristics. The decline of feudalism and the rise of cities influenced each other; for example, the demand for luxury goods led to an increase in trade, which led to greater numbers of tradesmen becoming wealthy, who, in turn, demanded more luxury goods. This change also gave the merchants almost complete control of the governments of the Italian city-states, again enhancing trade. One of the most important effects of this political control was security. Those that grew extremely wealthy in a feudal state ran constant risk of running afoul of the monarchy and having their lands confiscated, as famously occurred to Jacques Coeur in France. The northern states also kept many medieval laws that severely hampered commerce, such as those against usury, and prohibitions on trading with non-Christians. In the city-states of Italy, these laws were repealed or rewritten†. [2] Romans architecture was also something developed during the renaissance. â€Å"The obvious distinguishing features of Classical Roman architecture were adopted by Renaissance architects. However, the forms and purposes of buildings had changed over time, as had the structure of cities. Among the earliest buildings of the reborn Classicism were churches of a type that the Romans had never constructed. Neither were there models for the type of large city dwellings required by wealthy merchants of the 15th century. Conversely, there was no call for enormous sporting fixtures and public bath houses such as the Romans had built. The ancient orders were analysed and reconstructed to serve new purposes†. [3] â€Å"The Roman orders of columns are used:- Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian and Composite. The orders can either be structural, supporting an arcade or architrave, or purely decorative, set against a wall in the form of pilasters. During the Renaissance, architects aimed to use columns, pilasters, and entablatures as an integrated system. One of the first buildings to use pilasters as an integrated system was in the Old Sacristy (1421–1440) by Brunelleschi†. [4] There were some people in Rome who weren’t Christian and even opposed it. â€Å"There are thousands of instances of this kind, where nothing will prevail,not even the majesty of the Christian name nor reverence for Christ himself (whom the angels fall down and worship, though weak and depraved mortals may insult him), nor yet the fear of punishment or the armed inquisitors of heresy. The prison and stake are alike impotent to restrain the impudence of ignorance or the audacity of heresy†. [5] The Roman renaissance was the greatest renaissance. â€Å"They left Florence for a city that was greater than Florence ever dreamed of being, They left for the imperial city they left for rome†. [6] Milan was also very important in the renaissance. â€Å"When we think of the Renaissance we automatically think of Italy, but we must not fall into thinking of the Italian peninsula during this time as a nation. Far from it he southern half of the Italian boot was the Kingdom of Naples. In the North was the most powerful of the city-statesthe Duchy of Milan†. [7] â€Å"Central to the city of Milan were the Dominicans. Church and state were not separate but two legs of a single civic being, neither of which could have survived long without the other. The home of the Dominicans, the church of Santa Maria della Grazie went from being a modest oratory in the middle ages to a major cathedral with its own elaborate monastery complex in the fifteenth century, becoming the centre of all learning in the city. It was here, in the refectory (dining hall) that Leonardo staged his Last Supper. It was here Bramante learned his trade, laying the foundation for the new St. Peters Cathedral in Rome. Unlike Venice or Florence, or Rome, Milan (aside from the Last Supper) is not known for its painting but for its robust power and pursuit of scientific knowledge. Architecture and engineering, science and religion were the key elements in its strong, towering presence as it cast a ponderous shadow over all of Italy during this time. †[8] References http://www.humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=gp=aa=iID=423 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_architecture#cite_ref-10 http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance

Thomas Edison :: essays research papers

Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Edison could probably be properly called Mr. Electricity because of the many inventions and millions of dollars that he used and invested with electricity. From the invention of the light bulb, to the invention of the phonograph Thomas Edison made electricity a reality for the masses. And one of his greatest influences was from his Father a very positive man. A long with the great influence he had upon Americans and the world. He sparked the movement of today’s computer ran world. Thomas Edison was born February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the seventh and last child of Samuel Edison, Jr. and Nancy Elliot Edison. His parents had no special mechanical background. His mother was a former schoolteacher; his father was a jack-of-all-trades - from running a grocery store to real estate. When Thomas was seven years old, his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan. He was a very curious child who asked a lot of questions. "Edison began school in Por t Huron, Michigan when he was seven. His teacher, the Reverend G. B. Engle considered Thomas to be a dull student."(Allen pg. 22) Thomas especially did not like math. And he asked too many questions. The story goes that the teacher whipped students who asked questions. After three months of school, the teacher called Thomas, "addled". Thomas was pissed. The next day, Nancy Edison brought Thomas back to school to talk with Reverend Engle. The teacher told his mother that Thomas couldn't learn. Nancy also became angry at the teacher's strict ways. "She took Thomas out of school and decided to home-school him."(Allen pg. 34) It appears he briefly attended two more schools. However, his school attendance was not very good. So nearly all his childhood learning took place at home. Edison's parents loved to read. They read to him works of good literature and history. They had many books that young Tom eagerly devoured. Before he was 12, he had read work s by Dickens and Shakespeare, Edward Gibbon's Fall of the Roman Empire and Decline, and more. Nancy Edison encouraged her curious son to learn things for himself. His parents were dedicated to teaching their children. They did not force him to learn about things he didn't enjoy. So he learned about things that interested him the most. When Thomas was nine Nancy Edison gave him an elementary science book. It explained how to do chemistry experiments at home.

Economics. Exchange rate to the larger country’s currency Essay

†¢A managed floating exchange rate refers to (an exchange rate that is not pegged, but does not float freely) †¢A small country with strong economic ties to a larger country should (PEG ((HARD OR SOFT)) THEIR EXCHANGE RATE TO THE LARGER COUNTRY’S CURRENCY) †¢An increase in the real exchange rate (real depreciation of domestic currency) will result in (AN INCREASE IN NET EXPORTS) †¢China has pegged its currency against the U.S. dollar. If demand for dollars decreases (THERE IS PRESSURE FOR THE U.S. DOLLAR TO DEPRECIATE. IN THIS SETTING, CHINA HAS TO PURCHASE DOLLARS TO MAINTAIN ITS PEG) †¢Consider Figure 10.4, â€Å"Supply and Demand in the Foreign Exchange Market.† If U.S. demand for the British pound decreases, in the long run (THE DEMAND CURVE WILL SHIFT IN TO THE LEFT, AND THE DOLLAR WILL APPRECIATE) †¢If the U.S. dollar depreciates in terms of the Euro (American goods would be cheaper for Europeans) †¢In a fixed exchange rate system, how do countries address the problem of currency market pressures that threaten to lower or raise the value of their currency (a & b only: if demand rises, countries must fill the excess demand for foreign currency by selling their reserves, if demand falls, then countries must increase demand by buying up the excess supply with domestic currency) †¢In the debate on fixed versus floating exchange rates, the strongest argument for a floating rate is that it frees macroeconomic policy from taking care of the exchange rate. Why is this also the weakest argument (the freeing of monetary policy from the task of maintaining an exchange rate creates a lack of external discipline on monetary policy and leads to an over reliance on inflationary policies to satisfy domestic economic needs) †¢Suppose a bond issued by the European Central Bank and denominated in euros pays 2% per year. Today the exchange rate is 1.87 dollars per euro. It is expected that the exchange rate in one year will be 2.06 dollars per euro. What is the annual dollar return on this bond (12 percent) †¢The price of a currency that will be delivered in the future is called (THE FORWARD EXCHANGE RATE) †¢Under a Gold Standard (THE EXCHANGE RATE IS FIXED) †¢Which is true (SOME COUNTRIES PEG TO A BASKET OF CURRENCIES) †¢Which of the  effects is not considered when choosing an exchange rate system (THE FISCAL ((SPENDING)) POLICY THAT THE CHOOSING COUNTRY WILL MAINTAIN) †¢Which of the following would be interested in holding foreign currency to engage in transactions (a & d only: a tourist, a manufacturing firm) †¢Which of the following would be interested in holding foreign currency to take advantage of investment opportunities (a portfolio manager) †¢SUPPOSE THE DOLLAR-YEN EXCHANGE RATE IS 0.013 DOLLARS PER YEN. SINCE THE BASE YEAR, INFLATION HAS BEEN 1 PERCENT IN JAPAN AND 9 PERCENT IN THE UNITED STATES. WHAT IS THE REAL EXCHANGE RATE (.0120) WORK: REAL EXCHANGE RATE = (NOMINAL EXCHANGE RATE) X ((FOREIGN PRICES) / (DOMESTIC PRICES)) THE FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC PRICES ARE FOUND BY TAKING 100 + THE INFLATION PERCENT. THEREFORE, THE REAL EXCHANGE RATE = 0.013 X ((101) / (109)) = 0.0120 IN REAL TERMS, THE DOLLAR HAS APPRECIATED AGAINST THE YEN (TRUE) †¢DUE TO THIS CHANGE, THE U.S. DOLLAR WILL (APPRECIATE), THE CANADIAN DOLLAR WILL (DEPRECIATE), AND THE LENGTH OF THE EFFECT WILL BE (MEDIUM RUN) †¢Exports represent about ___ percent of Israel’s economy (40) †¢One of the reasons Israel’s currency has appreciated recently is due to (low interest rates in other major economies) †¢Israel’s benchmark interest rate is now (1.25%) †¢Market determined currency exchange rates are also known as (floating exchange rates) †¢What is the impact of currency depreciation on the country experiencing the decline in currency value (exports will increase) †¢When a country allows their currency to depreciate it will (increase exports) †¢When a foreign currency becomes more expensive in terms of another currency it is said to have; (appreciated) †¢How will lowering the interest rates impact the value of the currency (it will devalue the currency) †¢How does the appreciation of the British pound versus the euro impact the British economy? Goods priced in pounds are now (more expensive to consumers in Europe that use the euro, resulting in a further decline in British exports) †¢Why is the British pound appreciating versus the euro (because investors and savers that hold their wealth in euros are looking for â€Å"safe haven† currencies to place their money) †¢How does the Bank of England’s quantitative easing impact the pound’s strength (normally  quantitative easing would cause a currency to depreciate, so the fact that the pound is appreciating provides a strong indicator of investors’ fear of the euro)

Penn Foster Principles of Management Final Exam Essay

1. In order to implement an organizations commitment to social responsibility it is necessary to identify what social problem the organization intends to address, develop policies on what the organization plans to do to successfully fulfill its obligation and ensure stakeholder buy-in. The main obstacles an organization faces when implementing socially responsible policies is pressure from stockholders and business analysis who want steady increase in earnings. Without steady increase in profits, it becomes difficult to reinvest money in these areas. The following actions can be taken toward increased social responsibility: 1. Examine expectations and past responses 2. Set objectives and prioritize 3. Plan and implement strategies 4. Set budgets for resources needed for social action 5. Monitor progress 2. Departmentalization is the practice in which grouping or combining jobs that are related to form a specialized area that is distinct from other areas in an organization. Work or functional departmentalization is a method of separating the activities performed within an organization into groups by the nature or function of the work they perform. For example, functional departmentalization would tend to group together staff members that perform a specialized function in an organization, like accounting. Product departmentalization is the grouping of business activities that are necessary to produce a particular product and/or market a product or service line under the direction of one manager. An example of product departmentalization would be a large multiproduct organization like an automotive distributor. Geographic departmentalization is when organizations are physically isolated to geographical regions. An example of geographical departmentalization is a manufacturing company that has locations in Northern and Southern locations that deal with consumers within their region. Customer departmentalization is when an organization is divided into units that handle specific customer needs. Examples of customer departmentalization in a manufacturing plant are: Assembly, shipping, billing, etc. 3. The acronym SWOT stands for an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A SWOT analysis is strategic planning method that evaluates the internal and external performance of an organization to see if it’s favorable or unfavorable to achieve whatever objective you are set out to accomplish. Strengths and weaknesses usually arise from the internal aspect of an organization, whereas opportunities and threats evolve from external components. By performing a SWOT analysis it provides information to managers to help formulate a successful strategy to achieve goals. PART B 1. Six Sigma is a management philosophy that sets objectives, collects data and analyzes results as a way to remove wasted expenses from its processes and help reduce the number of defective products produced. Six Sigma uses quality measures to strive for near perfection by eliminating errors and variables. 2. The balance of trade is the point where the difference between exports and imports is favorable for the country. When the country imports more than it exports, it results in a trade deficit and when the country exports more than it imports, the country runs into a trade surplus. The balance of trade for a countries economy is a very fine balance. The economic condition can change and a deficit or surplus may be an ideal situation. 3. In the context of communication, perception is based on the individual that is on the receiving end of the information. Perception is a process in which stimulation of the senses, whether written, verbal or non-verbal, is translated into a meaningf ul experience. Each person perceives the same information differently and they tend to only listens to part of the message before perception distorts the intended message. 4. The term organizational decentralization refers to the increased amount of authority given to lower level management by upper level management. By allowing lower level management to be involved in decision making, it enables actions to happen in a timelier manner and promotes higher employee morale, as well as relieves upper management from time consuming projects. 5. Simon’s theory, principle of bounded rationality as it applies to satisficing can be summarized as a decision making strategy that selects the best alternative rather than continuing to search for the optimal solution to any given situation. 6. In relations to leadership, consideration and initiating structure both contribute positively to staff motivation and satisfaction, as well as, effectiveness. 7. Positive reinforcement is to add a positive outcome as a result of a desired behavior. Negative reinforcement is to give the person the opportunity to avoid a negative consequence by increasing the likelihood that the desired behavior will reoccur. Both are used to increase the frequency of the desired behavior. 8. Planning – The manager sets objectives and decided what needs to be done to meet those goals. Organizing – The manager divides work into manageable activities and selects people to accomplish the task that need to be done. Staffing – The manager determines how many and what kind of staff is needed to meet the organizations goals and then recruits and trains the appropriate people. Leading – The manager motivates and communicates with staff and also directs them towards meeting the organizational goals. Controlling – The manager measures and analyzes the organizations performance, and makes changes if financial standards are not being m et. 9. A manager would use the critical-incident appraisal method for assessing employees’ written record of both satisfactory and unsatisfactory work performances. Performance is documented as it occurs and can aid in preparing performance evaluations to identify strengths and areas that need improvement. 10. Group norm is an informal set of rules a group takes on to regulate group behavior, whereas group cohesiveness is the overall attraction each member has for the group. Group norm example: Employees that work on assembly line #1 at the local factory always sit at the same lunch table and don’t interact with others. Group cohesiveness example: Employees on assembly line #2 have beaten the monthly production record for the 10th month in a row.

Financial Analysis of Google Research Paper Example

Financial Analysis of Google Research Paper Example Financial Analysis of Google Paper Financial Analysis of Google Paper An Analysis of Google It is rather difficult to think about web browsing without thinking about Google. Many people rely on Google to search and find any information they may be looking for. It is quite frequent you hear people say Just Google it to help find solutions. Many people rely on Google for many different aspects of learning and information. Google is a convenient and has many attributes that they offer to their users. One Googles many attributes that is helpful for college students like us, is their scholarly browser. This browser has come in handy in the many papers we have prepared for lasses over the years. With more and more professors asking for scholarly sources, Google makes it a hassle free to provide those sources. Some of Googles other attributes that it offers its users are maps, image searches, web searches, email, shopping, and much more. Another reason we like Google is that they are a growing company. In a world full of information and data that vastly growing, we are in need of a speedy and up to date search engine to keep people informed and content. Google, who recently did a 2-for-l split in 2014, has stock symbols of AGOG and GOOGOL, which are classified as A shares. They two stocks are currently trading for $525. 5 (Google A Shares) and $534. 14 (Google Inc. ) on May 5, 2014. In the last four years Googles business conditions have continued to become better, showing consistent increase in stock prices each year. On May 6, 2010 the stock price was $249. 09 compared to one year later on May 6, 2011 the stock was $267. 38. Over the next year the stock price increased $30. 81 to $298. 19 on May 6, 2012. From the year 2012 to May 6, 2013 the stock price Jumped a shocking amount of $132. 15 to $430. 34. The stock price has recently increased by $103. 80 from the year 013 to May 6, 2014 to a current price of $534. 5 (Google Inc. NASDAQ). Google takes into much consideration its users satisfaction of its services and products. Google does this by having an easy to run customer service page. This page offers its users direct help with their Google accounts, Gamma, Docs or any other Google product. Also listed on this helpful support page is all of Googles policies and principles, privacy and security tips, Google Headquarters, and telephone numbers to customer service help lines. Google frequently uses this information and feedback to analyze their products and services (Contact). : Googles Business Operation and Corporate Development teams work on global, cross-functional projects that help the companies global business strategy. The teams at Google deliver insights to leaders that drive decision-making, execution and investments for some of Googles most critical initiatives (Business). Google is currently available in 144 countries and holds 60% of the market share in worlds search engines. Google reaches a global business strategy by having twenty American based offices, thirteen Asia Pacific Region based offices, and five Middle East based offices, and many complex global partnerships (International). Google has recently Just made a $2. 25 billion investment on data center and infrastructure spending, which is a huge area of costs for the company. Google is the most aggressive in advancing a clean energy agenda, and has mage fifteen wind and solar investments totaling more than $1 billion. Google and many other large companies like Apple, Backbone, and Microsoft are all gigantic consumers of energy, and is the reason that top companies such as Silicon Valley are in a race to be the leader of clean and renewable energies (Google makes). One of the most important strengths of Google is its brand equity. Google is one of he most well-known and well-respected search engines. Another key strength for Google would be their customer responsiveness. Their customer responsiveness is a key element that will help increase their user base. One of Googles biggest weaknesses is that you need a device and Internet to access Googles features. Google wants to be mobile and easy to use, but still cannot be accessible to everyone, everywhere. They could solve this by making some features downloaded, but it is hard to make a search engine accessible without Internet. A huge opportunity for Google is its overseas markets and advertising. Google can increase their capital by advertising in overseas markets to increase their user base. Google is also in a market that is constantly technologically growing. A great threat Google may face is other search engines. With a variety of search engines to choose from on the Internet, Google has to stay ahead of their competitors and offer as much as they can to their users. Another threat for Google recently has been social media. With Backbone and Twitter surpassing Google with Internet usage it has become an aspect that threatens Googles future. Backbone and Twitter are one of the main leaders in Internet advertisement (The Makes). Financial Analysis In this section, we will be taking a look at Googles financial performance in recent years. All figures will be given in billions of dollars, with the exception of figures given on a per share basis. Given the recent uncertainty within the business community due to the economy, Google has done exceptionally well over they past four years. Their business continues to grow each year, and there is not much information that indicates a change in this trend anytime soon. You do not need to look any farther than Googles balance sheet to see what direction the company is moving in. In 2010, Google had total assets of $41. 6. By 2013, this figure had risen by $31. 33, to $72. 89. It may be surprising to know that Googles long-term debt has not substantially grown over the past four years compared to most other large companies. Google had no long-tern debt in 2009, maintained debt at $2. 99 till 2013 when it had decreased by $. 75 to a current $2. 24 in long-term debt (Google Inc. CLC). By looking at Googles income statement, their financial performance becomes even more impressive. Moving forward, Google appears to have solid financial positioning. The above figures are very helpful in getting an idea of where the company sits, but in order to get an even better picture, it may also be worth taking a look at a few of the common financial ratios. One ratio that is especially telling about Googles operations is its net profit margin. In 2010 Google had a net profit margin of 29% and decreased 8. 6% to a final net profit margin of 20. 4% Another important ratio used to determine a companys ability to generate income is return on equity. Google has recently seen roughly a one percent decrease in this regard. During the 2010 to 2014 period, their returns on equity were 18. 4%, 16. 7%, 15%, and 14% respectively. Another relevant measure to consider in the financial analysis of Google is the firms price to earnings ratio. Their price to earnings ratio has relatively remained the name during the four year time period. Googles price to earnings ratios was 20. 3% starting in 2010 and 24. 6% ending in 2010 (Google Value Line). Googles price to book ratio went from 72. 03 in 2010 to 130. 12 in 2013. This is a 58. 09 increase in their price to book ratio (10 Year). Once again, Google does not issue dividends, so there are no dividend payout ratios or dividend yields for us to report on. Our figures are summarized below. Net Profit Margin 29% 25. 7% 21. 5% 20. 4% Return On Equity 18. 4% 16. 7% Price to Earning Ratio 20. 3 19. 1 19. 8 24. 6 Price to Book Ratio* 72. 03 89. 57 108. 7 130. 12 Figures given by Googles Value Line Report Figures with * given by: Gracious. Com/financial/AGOG These figures show a positive trend for Google. With a relatively stable net profit margin, it is a promising indicator for Googles future performance. A higher profit margin indicates that a greater percentage of their sales are being turned into income. This information, along with other data listed, suggests that Google is seeing consistent improvements in operating efficiency. With the information above, it is certainly possible to evaluate the financial position of a company. However, if we take the figures and ratios from Google and compare to their competition, we will more than likely find ourselves with an even greater idea of the companies performance. In order to reach this goal, we decided to compare Googles performance to one of their key competitors: Yahoo! Although Yahoo! May seem to have the advantage over Google in some areas, the recent trends tend to suggest that Google is making great progress in closing the gap. Although Yahoos net profit margin ends slightly higher than Googles, it is safe to say that Googles has been higher and more consistent over the four-year span from 2010-2014. While Googles net profit margin went from 29% to 20. 4% in 2010 to 2014, Yahoos increased from 19. 5% in 2010 to a current margin of 27% in 2013 (Google Value Line). We also noticed that Googles return on investment decreased from 18. 4% in 2010 to 14% by the year 2013. On the other hand, Yahoos return on investment increased from 9. 8% in 2010 to 10% in 2013. Although Googles return on investment decreased over the four-year span, their ending percentage was still four percent higher than Yahoo! (Google Value Line). Google saw a huge increase in their earning per share starting at $26. 31 in 2010 and ending at $36. 5 in 2013. On the other hand Yahoos earnings per share increased by $. 36 starting at $. 90 in 2010 and ending at $1. 26 in 2013. The last two financial ratios that will help to compare the two companies are price to earnings ratio and the price to book ratio. The price to earnings ratio for Google had a 4. 3 increase from 2010 to 2014, while Yahoo had a . 8 decrease over the same four-year time span. Google shows a remarkable increase in their price to book ratio from 2010 to 2013 with a 58. 09 increase starting at 72. 03 and ending at 130. 12(Google Price). Yahoo did not show such a huge Jump, unlike Google, with only a . 88 increase over four years starting at 1. 839 in 2010 and ending at 1. 927 in 2013. A summary of our comparison, along with two graphs depicting the net profit margins and earnings per share of Google and Yahoo, are below Wahoo! Price). Based on Googles figures, we determined their internal growth rate by calculating their retained earnings, which are $61. 26, divided by their total assets of $72. 89 for an internal growth rate of 84. 04% as of 2013 (Google Inc. CLC). Yahoos internal growth rate was calculated the same with retained earning of $4. 27 divided by their total assets of $16. 8 for a rate of 24. 2% (Google Inc. NASDAQ:GOOGOL). In calculating both Google and Yahoos sustainable growth rate, both companies do not offer dividends leaving them with no dividend payout ratio. With this information the companys sustainable growth rate is equal to their return on equity. Googles return on equity is 14% compared to Yahoos return on equity of 10% (Google Value Line). Based on the internal growth rate and the sustainable growth rate, Googles rates are both higher than Yahoos, which leads us to conclude that Google is on a good trend for the future compared to their major competitors. Investment Analysis Over the past four years, Google stock has seen a considerable increase in value. Just recently in 2014 Google had issued a 2 for 1 stock. One main investment risks for Google is the secular shift to mobile from desktop. With more and more people choosing to invest their money in cell phones and tablets instead of desktop computers, more ads are being displayed on mobile devices. With this being said, Google does not earn as much money with advertising on mobile devices compared to desktop computers. This is because of the ad size being significantly smaller. Although Google is still the leader of the web search engines, it is a risk that investors should consider. Another one of the investments risks for Google is the Motorola Division. This division is a threat to Google because it is a motivational $12. 5 billion Motorola acquisition for the intellectual property and the build-out of a better mobile computing platform on Android. This is an investment risk because Motorola offers features that Google does that could potentially take over their place (Google Investment). Using the market multiple approach, we can see that now is a great time to buy into Google stock. Given Googles current PEPS of $18. 35, along with a PIE ratio of 28. 48, the projected stock price for Googles turns out to be $522. 61. Since Googles current price per hare is $522. 7, it looks to be that Google stock is currently undervalued by 4 cents. If this strategy was to be implemented, and Googles stock was to reach $522. 57, the expected rate of return would be a minimum of . 01%. A great time to invest in Google stock would be if the stock price per share were under $522. 57. An advisable time to sell stock would be if it above $522. 57 per share. Risk is always going to be a huge part of the stock market. With Google, however, our analysis has shown us to conclude that they are a strong and growing company that has the ability to provide retreat returns on investment. They are innovative, in a great financial position, and are one of the worlds most known web search engines. We foresee Google being a dominant force within their industry for many years to come. 10 Year Financial Data of Google Inc (AGOG) Gracious. Com. 10 Year Financial Data of Google Inc (AGOG) Gracious. Com. N. P. , n. D. Web. 6 May 2014.. Business Strategy Google Careers. Business Strategy Google Careers. N. P. , n. D. Web. 6 May 2014. Google (A Shares) Stock Quote. . NASDAQ, n. D. Web. 5 May 2014.

Memoir Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memoir - Research Paper Example Life did not exactly go as I planned it, but deep inside of me I believed that the perfect guy was out there for me. I looked after my daughter all by myself for a few more years. Times were tough, but I always had my daughter to look after. Her beautiful smile was like a sign telling me that I should not give up. Then back in 2011 I met a man who seemed to be perfect in more ways than one. He came from an upstanding family and held a well-paying job. Because of a tough time financially that I was in, I quickly fell for him because I saw him as a means to help me and my daughter live a better life. During the courting stage, which only lasted a few short months, I felt like a princess. My then-boyfriend would randomly turn up at my work with flowers and chocolates, and many of my workmates commented how lovely we were together. I tended to agree, but I did not see it coming when he proposed to me just a few short weeks later. Although I was naturally a cautious person, I felt a sense of joy that I had finally found someone who I could grow old with. My dream was live side-by-side with my husband until we were both very old. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse not long after we were married. The day of the wedding provided lots of sunshine, with many flowers marking the occasion in a way that I could only have dreamed of. I was a little nervous, as every young woman should be, but I could not say that I was totally in love at that time. It seemed like that was just the next step to take. My daughter was growing up, and I did not want to have to raise her alone. It was my utmost desire to have a loving partner to be with, not so much for myself but for the sake of my daughter too. For the first few months of my marriage not a lot seemed to change. My husband had received a promotion at work, so he was doing longer hours than before. Because my daughter had just started going to school, I had many more responsibilities on my plate. It would have been n ice to get some help from my new husband, but he did not seem to care about my situation. Whenever he would come home from work he always seemed to be in an agitated state. I knew that his work gave him a lot of stress, but this was no reason to take it out on me. I had never seen my husband get violent when we were still dating, so this was a new experience for me. The alarm bells should have been ringing for me back then, but I was still holding onto my dream of living happily ever after with my prince charming. After more than a year of marriage, I was beginning to see less and less of my husband. His job required him to travel frequently, so he was not around the house on a daily basis. Whenever he was home, he seemed to be a different person than the one I first married. I carried on for a few more months before I could take it no longer. In January of 2013, I asked my husband to move out as I wanted a divorce. Surprisingly he was not too upset with this request, and he complie d with it almost immediately. I wanted to move on from him as soon as possible, so we got a quick divorce through the help of an experienced lawyer. Although I am now a divorced woman, I still have hope that my true prince charming is out there for me. Times have been tough lately, but I always wish for a better future. Right now

Knowledge of water-only systems may influence the incident commanders Essay

Knowledge of water-only systems may influence the incident commanders incident action plan - Essay Example In case of a fire emergency, the knowledge of when and where the water is available will influence significantly which strategy the incident commander will adopt depending on whether or not the water will be available. The relevance and conciseness of the plan will depend on the knowledge of water-only systems. The commander will be able to create a plan that suits the emergency by assessing the availability of water in a particular area. When laying out a strategy to curb fire in a deserted area, the plan needs to include the sources of water to stop the fire or other sources to stop the situation such as fire extinguishers. Lastly, the knowledge on water systems will be essential to make timely and complete plans. The information on water systems will be critical to the execution of the project to avoid hindering efficiency and compromising safety (Haraway, 2010). For example, with the knowledge of where and when water will be available, a fire extinguishing company will be able to lay out a complete and timely plan of what shall be needed in the event. In conclusion, knowledge of water-only systems plays a crucial role in determining the objectives to be set, the strategies to be laid and the tactics to be applied in the case of emergencies. The knowledge enables the plan to be timely, accurate and

Breathe Right Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Breathe Right - Case Study Example With the expansion of the market, this means that the company had to modify its drugs to meet the various requirements of the foreign markets. Secondly, the company experienced increased growth. The growth was because of the company having new markets. They therefore, had to grow in large numbers and launch new branches in the different countries. This means that the company had to employ more people to work on its newfound market. A third advantage is the increased consumer awareness of CNS products. When new products were introduced in the new markets, more consumers were eager to know what the products were about and the different curative effects that the products had. Through advertising for these products in media stations, it helped increase consumer awareness of CNS products. This in turn attracted more consumers who buy the drugs either as a prescription or over the counter. Additionally, the company benefited from the increased sales. When the company decided to go global, it increased its sales volume by a large percentage. This was because of the increased demand of its product. An increase in sales means that there was an increase in sales revenue too. This means that there was increase in the amount that the company was able to transact in a day. More notably, the company benefited from the newly gained local partnership in the various countries where it expanded. Moreover, the company benefited from an increase in profits, which enabled it to expand. However, the company faced some disadvantages. These include the increased operational cost. The company had to increase the amount of money that it spends in order to maintain the new operations at the various places where it expanded. Secondly, some consumers bought the drugs over the counter without the right prescriptions. This was jeopardizing the existence of the CNC Company in that it was at a risk of being sued for selling its

Performance - Dance Essay Example for Free

Performance Dance Essay This evaluative essay will explore why the dance piece â€Å"Twilight† choreographed by Sarah Boulter and performed by Grace, Jessie, Heath and Nick, should be chosen in the Empire Theatre â€Å"Youth Arts Showcase†. This piece is an outstanding example of contemporary dance and by far the perfect choice for the showcase, as it clearly follows the selected criteria given by the committee. These are that it clearly exhibits the characteristics of contemporary dance, has a clear intention and is extremely entertaining to watch. The characteristics of contemporary dance are clearly evident in the performance of â€Å"Twilight†. One evident characteristic in this piece is the use of Gravity (Rise and Fall) which is shown in a lot of movements. This is identified when each male lifts his female partner of the ground and the female performs a high kick into a split position, then back up again. In extension to this, flexed feet movements are included and shown when at the very start of the dance all four of the dancers perform their own movements/mini sequence for about 8 seconds in the middle of the stage, facing towards the audience. Movements include leaps, high kicks, jumps and tumbling. Finally the dancers perform movements in parallel, which are seen when they position themselves in a diamond shape in the centre of the stage, facing the audience and perform the same energetic and percussive running, lifting and leaping movements at the same time, across the stage at high and medium level. Sarah Boulter’s dance sequence â€Å"Twilight† clearly tells the story of 4 vampires that are in battle. This is shown through the female’s short, dark, ripped dresses and the male’s long black, ripped capes and pants. It is also highlighted by the fast, upbeat and loud tempo in the music as well as the lyrics â€Å"We will be Victorious†, which reveal that they are fighting and will win. The intention of the dance piece was also shown through the movement elements. The 4 dancers begin walking down a flight of stairs into a horizontal line, facing the audience. Each dancer then breaks into an individual routine, showing their â€Å"battle moves†. In addition to this, the dancers are also seen running around the stage in a circular formation, then breaking into a straddle leap across the stage, onto the ground. Finally, at the end of the dance all 4 dancers are seen in a different pose, then all dropping to the ground. This shows that they had either been defeated or were â€Å"worn out† and tired. After reading the above statements the intention has clearly been successfully conveyed to the audience in both a exiting and ingenious manner. In my opinion â€Å"Twilight† was both an entertaining and creative dance piece to watch. This is achievable by including the amazing use of many lifts, jumps and varied floor patterns. The choreographer also included a lot of movement elements that the dancers did in unison. An example of lifts was when all dancers were in a square shape, and then the 2 females and 2 males branched off into couples. Each couple were then seen to do a lift, down into side splits then up again. Another great element in this piece was the veritable use of jumps and leaps. This was seen at the start of the dance, when all of the dancers bunched up together and one of the females stood up on both of the males backs, jumped up and then landed on the males, they then all collapsed to the ground. Finally the various floor patterns showed many outstanding shapes and levels, which was seen when each dancer ran round the stage and zigzagged through each other. Consequently it is extremely clear that this dance piece is amazingly entertaining and creative to watch. In conclusion, I believe that it is extremely clear that the dance piece â€Å"Twilight† choreographed by Sarah Boulter and danced by Grace, Jesse, Nick and Heath should be included in the Empire Theatres Youth Arts Showcase. This piece should be chosen as it clearly addresses the selected criteria supplied by the committee. The characteristics of contemporary dance are clearly highlighted through the use of Flexed Feet, Gravity (Rise and Fall) and Parallel Movements. These can be seen when the dancers perform movements on different levels, as well as the use of energetic running in parallel and suspended leaps and lifts with flexed feet. The intention of the dance was clearly conveyed through the costumes which showed their characters. Finally the dance was amazingly entertaining to watch. The use of exciting level, directions and floor patterns kept the audience entertained and intrigued, so did the marvellous performance skills of the dancers. Consequently it is clear that this dance piece is the perfect choice for the showcase and therefore should be chosen.

Different Forms Of People Management Commerce Essay

Different Forms Of People Management Commerce Essay At the end of the nineteenth century many workers were employed in the manufacturing sectors, where they had to put in long hours and conditions were often harsh. The welfare state did not exist and no work could mean destitution. However, even in such unenlightened times some employers did value their workers and took on a paternalist role for their employees. Such famous names as Cadbury, Rowntree and Bournville, all chocolate manufacturers, and Lever, a soap manufacturer, all took their employees` welfare very seriously and established the provision of health and education as part of their role as a responsible employer. These enlightened employers tended to be Quakers and were some of the first employers to employ welfare officers. The welfare officers were often women and were concerned not only with visiting sick employees but also with supervising moral welfare. We will take an overview of the state of debate. THE STATE OF DEBATE The question of whether human resource management has the capacity to transform or replace deeply rooted models of personnel management and industrial relations, or could become fully worked-through theory of management, is one that cannot be answered in a simple manner. Human resource management has many cogent critics and many sceptical supporters. Initial criticism which claimed that it was `old wine new bottles` ,the restatement perspective outlined earlier in this chapter, still has strong adherents (Keenoy and Anthony, 1993). Others see it as a version of `the emperor`s new clothes` (Legge, 1989) or a `wolf sheep`s clothing` (Armstrong, 1987) The 1990s have seen a growing sophistication in the nature of the debate involving HRM. One very strong characteristic is the desire on the part of a number of commentators to explore the consequences of implementing HRM techniques for organizations. Thus the nature of the argument now strongly incorporates the concept of HRM outcomes rather than relying largely on descriptions of styles or types of HRM philosophies. Part of this development has been promoted by the realisation that traditional sources of competitive advantage, such as technological supremacy, patents, capital and so forth, are very much less important than they were in a world in which many countries can display equal advantage in at least some of these critical aspects (Pfeffer, 1994). Thus the extent to which an organization can mobilise is internal human resources may hold the key to achievable advantage in the future (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). The general managerial epithet that `people are our greatest asset` is a tried clichÃÆ' ©; what distinguishes the most recent work is its focus on the recourse based model of HRM and the particular mix ofskills and attributes that can be developed and applied to economic performance. Thus Huselid (1995) has argued that high performance work practices have an economically and statically significant impact on such employee outcomes as turnover and productivity and both short- and long-term measures of corporate financial performance. In my opinion is, the importance of HRM as rhetoric that speaks to the concerns of a wide range of stakeholder groups-personnel and line managers, government and academics-should not be underestimated. We will take an overview of the chances in external environmental factors and HR practices and strategies. CHANGE-MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES These are required if organizations are to be effective in developing an innovative and fast moving organisation that keep up with the fast pace of development in a modern society. Organizations need to be adaptable and flexible, which means that policies and objectives need to be place to manage change. Many of the IT industryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s need to be adaptable and fast changing to keep up with changes in modern technology. For example, Apple Computers` market share was in decline due to monopoly of the Microsoft windows operating system, but it has reinvented itself with the iPod, and is now leading the way in music technology. Without change management objectives Apple would have found it much harder to respond to rapid changes. For this reason the recruitment, selection and development strategies all need to feed into the change management objectives. Policy formulation and management of change This means using HR policy to identify and manage change in a business environment. This extends from Harward model, which has not identified change effectively to ensure competitiveness. Apple Computers managed to develop the iPod and gain competitive advantage by having policies for managing innovation and change. Nevertheless, these assumptions inform the practices and policies of management, and hence define the organizational and conceptual space that HRM fills and generate the multiple meanings of which HRM is constructed. We shall examine some of them in greater detail shortly. Competing interpretations of organisations and management When we stand back from the concrete world of managing to that of theories about organizations and management, we find that not only have very different interpretations been made overtime, but there exist simultaneously several strongly competing interpretations. Again, we can only skim over this material, but u can pursue the issues by reading, for example, Child (1969), who traces the development of management trough in Britain or Morgan (1986), who examines in a very accessible way eight different metaphors or ways that theorists as well as others have construed organisations. Brunsson (1989) throws a different light on the nature and goals of organising, based on his research in Scandinavian municipal administrations. He suggest that the outputs of these kinds of organizations are `talk, decision and physical products`. He proposes two ideal types of organization that depends on action for its legitimacy. Talk and decisions in the action organization lead to actions, whereas the outputs of the political organization are talk and decisions that may not lead to action. Having now examined some of the choices managers make to deal with the tensions within organizations and some of the competing interpretations offered by theorist of those tensions and choices, we need to stepback even further to become aware of the ways of thinking and of seeing that inform their assumptions. First, however, we shall examine the next layer of the context of HRM. THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN RECOURCE MANAGEMENT Human resource management cannot take place in isolation from the internal organization or the external environment where the political, economic, societal, technological and international context can have an impact on how the organization operates and how HRM is managed within that context. The context (the external and internal environment within which HR operates) within which HR takes place will impact on organizational polices and have implications for the functions of HR. this has been highlighted earlier in the example of the Beardmore conference Hotel, whose flexible benefits reflected the local society and culture as well as the economic environment, where managers recognised the need to attract and retain staff at that time. Context has many layers, which build up to impact on how the organization does business. THE ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT To operate successfully the organization needs to ask itself the following questions. What business are we in? How can we carry out our business to be as effective as possible and to meet out stakeholders`(identifiable clusters of people who have an economic and/or social interest in the performance of an organization) needs? The organizational context is also influenced by external context; it interacts with its environment and this in turn impacts on HR. for this reason, HR practices need to be designed to reflect the organizational context. However, in a fast-changing working environment this is often difficult to achieve: new technologies are developed, governments and attitudes change policy will, in turn, inform practice but needs to be flexible enough to respond to the influences of the external environment. For example, changes in practise, which in theory has meant a reduction in working hours for some workers. The approaches adopted by managers to resolve the tensions in organizations; The existence of several stakeholders in the employment relationship; Their differing perspectives upon events, experiences and relationships; Their differing aims, interest and needs; The interplay between formal organization and individual potential. These tensions have to be resolved through the process of management, or rather, continuously resolved, for these tensions are inherent in organizations. THE EXTERNAL CONTEXT The external environment influences the external context of the organization. An organization would not be effective if it ignored the external context of politics, economics, society and technology. In London and the south-east of England, there is a shortage of key workers, such as nurses and teachers, and many workers have been employed from abroad to fill the vacancies. For organizations, this means a review of policies to ensure that new workers` needs are considered. On a practical side, new aspect of training may have to be delivered to meet language needs. To do this an organization needs to operate as an open system (system influenced by the external environment and inputs, making it complex and difficult to control), which can change to meet the needs of its external environment. The political context The political context not only refers to the type of government in power at the time, but also, whether the country is democratic or not. In UK the political context changes depending on which political party is in power. In the past, the conservative government has tended to favour the employer over the employee; an example of this was the removal of the minimum wage. Traditional labour governments have focused on the employee and have had close links with the unions. With new labour the lines have become somewhat blurred: although they have reintroduced the minimum wage, they have also formed close links with industry by encouraging public/private partnerships. With every change of government the HR practitioner needs to identify the impact on the organisation and the HR department. The economic context The economic context refers to health of the nation. If business is booming and unemployment is low, it may be harder to find and retain staff. In times of economic decline, unemployment increases and greater choice of labour is available to the employer. However economic decline may also mean that your organisation has to downsize and HR department will than face the dilemma of dealing with redundancies. An organization may also need to answer to shareholders, who expect to see a healthy return on their investment. For the HR professional this could mean developing operations overseas where labour is cheaper, such as prudential moving its call centres to India. It may also mean outsourcing some or all of the functions of HR, as the organization pursues its competitive advantage. An example of outsourcing is discussed in the technology transformation box. The social context the social context refers to the culture, politics ,leadership and management style that influence the organization. An HR manager must be able to identify the culture within which the organization operates. This means he or she needs to recognise and understand the values the organization is trying to promote. However, they also need to understand the culture and society from which their employees are recruited. An HR manager should not underestimate the importance of the social context of business as, in many instances. Businesses have foundered due to a lack of understanding of the culture. Examples are Euro Disney Paris, whose lack of understanding of European culture and its failure to embrace all things American had a serious impact on business. Or, Wal-Mart in Argentina, which failed to understand how the argentines liked to shop, and could not understand why business was not booming in its bright and shiny new supermarkets. CONCLUSIONS HR goes in to decline-outsourcing and downsizing has removed the HR specialist from organisations and placed the HR role with the overworked line manager. The HR function will be closely integrated in to the vision and strategy of the organization and it will continue as it has done in the past, due to the limitations of labour markets, unions, legislation, etc. this implies that it stands still and does not develop. Whatever the view of HR and how it develops in the future, it is important to understand where it has come from and what has influenced it.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Years ago there was a traveler who came upon an old-fashioned pump from which he would have to pump the handle in order to retrieve the water. Beside the pump there was a pitcher full of water, and on the pump there was a sign. The sign instructions were to prime the pump with the water in the pitcher, pump the water for use, and then refill the pitcher. The thirsty man looked at the pitcher, the pump and the sign. He thought to himself, "If I pour this water down the pump, and it doesn't work, I will have no water to drink and it will be wasted. But, if I drink the water, I will be satisfied, but the next traveler will have nothing. We as graduates are like this traveler and we have decisions to make. We have the potential to be contributing members of society -- we are the doctors, nurses, farmers, servicemen and pastors of tomorrow. We can use the water in the pitcher that is like the education and resources this country has given us, and we can prime the pump for others, providing them with the opportunities that we have already been given. We can give back to society with our...

Webster Case

The case suggests that the performance evaluation data (PAS, personnel audit, and the impressions and opinions of the group members) had several problems. From the perspective of the decision-making biases, analyze how the characteristics of the performance data were likely to affect the decisions made by the Carter group. In your analysis, cite specific problems with the data and how they relate to the decision-making biases that we discussed in class.PAS†¢Loss aversion: Webster had a culture that promoted employee loyalty at all costs. â€Å"In more than one instance, Webster had kept an employee long after alcoholism had impaired his or her effectiveness, primarily because of top management’s feeling that the person had no other place to go.† This culture affected the type of feedback granted in the PAS process and skewed the data to show better employee performance on the evaluations than Webster was actually experiencing.†¢Illusion of transparency: Take R ay Pearson as an example, â€Å"Though is performance had been unsatisfactory for at least the last 10 years, he was not given any negative feedback unit the fall of 1974.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Anchoring: Webster rank and file suffered from anchoring in the inflated results of their evaluations. Imagine how Ray Pearson’s would have assessed himself he were not overconfident in his performance (which, unfortunately for Ray, was likely a result of his managers’ unwillingness to give truthful feedback).†¢Sampling on the dependent variable: the participation in the PAS evaluation process is poor at best. It could be possible that – notwithstanding the transparency issues – only the good performers submitted evaluations and the poor performers avoided the process altogether.Personnel audit†¢Illusion of transparency bias: while the audit doesn’t create this bias, Jack Bryant’s process fails to effectively resolve discrepancies between a subordin ate’s perceptions of her performance and her manager’s evaluation of performance.Group opinions†¢Confirmation bias: Again, the group has been immersed in a culture that prioritizes years of service over performance. Cecil Stevens leads the discussion with using seniority as the first criteria to make separation decisions. The group likely confronted confirmation bias towards weighting that criterion more heavily when weighting the other criteria (e.g. performance, potential, etc.).†¢Escalation of commitment: Take for example the counter-intuitive message given to Bob Carter by Ike Davis (superior). â€Å"These men have too much service to be treated as you have proposed.† It seems to me that despite Carter’s reasoned desire to demote individuals, the organization â€Å"doubled-down† on its message of loyalty as the most important consideration in making personnel decisions.